There are occasions when an inanimate object becomes one of the main ‘characters’ of a TV or movie series, and in the case of cult BBC sci-fi dramaDoctor Who, it is the long-serving ‘TARDIS’ (standing for ‘Time And Relative Dimensions In Space’) that has been the second-most notable name in the show following that of the titular lead, though the time machine (which is arguably only matched in terms of its genre’s pop culture fame by the DeLorean from Back to the Future) is claimed to be the subject of an interior redecoration ahead of this year’s Christmas special.

The BBC1 series, which will air new episode ‘The Snowmen’ at 5:15pm on 25 December, will be advertised mainly as an introduction for a new character (‘Clara’ played by Jenna-Louise Coleman), but regular fans of the series will be able to expect a noticable difference to the inside of the iconic blue police box.

Said to be the work of Doctor Who’s ‘production designer’ Michael Pickwoad, the redesign is said to be one that will carry over to the 8 new episodes to be aired in the show’s 50th anniversary year of 2013, with the plans confirmed by showrunner Steven Moffat, who confirmed the change on the BBC’s official show blog for Doctor Who.

The TARDIS, like its ‘owner’, has seen a number of redesigns over the years, with a clip of its black-and-white first version, along with a trailer for the newest episode, viewable below, along with a comedy styling of what happens when two time travellers collide:

[…] their recently-started 50th-anniversary year with announcements of potentially memorable episodes, an in-show interior decoration, and a range of commemorative postage stamps, and now the classic BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who are […]